Elbow Lake
Clare County, Michigan24 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- 22 ft max depth
- Limited data
Elbow Lake in Clare County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Surface area: 23.8 acres.
- Clarity
- 11 ft
- Max depth
- ~22 ft est.
- Area
- 24 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Elbow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Elbow Lake in Clare County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Elbow Lake
Prices for Sep 11–13, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
Watch Elbow Lake’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Why Elbow Lake has no grade
Elbow Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Elbow Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 11-foot median from 11 readings collected 2023 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Elbow Lake is a 24-acre lake in Clare County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-10-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Elbow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Elbow Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 43 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~22 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~10 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 24 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Elbow Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Elbow Lake
Graded lakes near Elbow Lake
Elbow Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Clare County
Frequently asked questions about Elbow Lake
Where is Elbow Lake?
- Elbow Lake is a lake in Clare County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Elbow Lake?
- Elbow Lake in Clare County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Surface area: 23.8 acres.
Is Elbow Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Elbow Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Elbow Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 23.8 acres.
Explore Elbow Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and top-graded lakes across Michigan
Fish species and best lakes in Clare County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its grade
Michigan's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
More Michigan Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Michigan
Mesotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS11 samples · 2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)